When we started Ambition Empower, our vision was to create a never-ending feed of carefully curated content that members could read or listen to each week. By spending just one hour per week, our members could grow continuously within the area that was most important to them.
We began with a few exceptional teachers, who were assigned “tracks” to publish their content. They became known as our “Track Leaders.”
The first version of the Ambition Empower app was released in September 2021. It involved manually updating a static WordPress page each week so that our members could access this valuable content. This process also required us to manually scheduling our live meetings for all members and keeping pages up to date every week.
Fortunately, we only had a few tracks and a limited number of members at the time, but it was still a lot of manual work.
The second version was launched on May 16, 2022. With the help of our friends at Matic Tribe in Gothenburg, we developed our first functional web application 🎉
This version introduced dynamic features, such as automated email notifications and content that updated within the app based on the current date. Members could subscribe to tracks and instantly add all relevant meetings to their calendars—and the app looked amazing.
The app was (and still is) built with React, powered by an SQL server on Azure, and supported by a backend written in .NET Core. This transition freed up more time for us to focus on improving and developing the app rather than manually updating content.
From interviews and usability studies, we learned that members appreciated how easy it was to find content. However, they felt there wasn’t a clear sense of accomplishment. To address this, we introduced Topics—essentially breaking down tracks into monthly chunks with a clear beginning and end. This also led our Track Leaders to group related articles into more cohesive packages.
We redesigned both the frontend and parts of the backend to support this change. This third version (3.0) was released in mid-summer 2023. Customers could now complete topics within tracks and receive a diploma upon completion. 🏆
Building on this version, we added automated emails, weekly reminders, and other nudges to help our members stay on track with their professional development. Since building new habits can be challenging, we aim to provide as much support as possible. Some emails were still sent manually due to time constraints, but automation continued to improve.
Since summer 2024, we’ve been working on the redesigned version that launched today: Ambition Empower 4.0.
This new version moves away from the track-based concept, allowing topics to stand independently. Users no longer need to follow a specific track to access all available topics.
This change required a bigger overhaul of both our backend and frontend. And, as is often the case in software development, we had to “replace the engine while the car was still running.” It was a massive undertaking for our development team, and we’re proud to have completed the transition without any major issues. All track subscriptions were successfully migrated to the new topic-based system.
We have an extensive roadmap ahead, with plans to make Ambition Empower even better for our members. Stay tuned for more. 🚀
